Power saws that have a reciprocating blade are used by artisans in the construction and remodeling industries, as well as many other industries, to perform demolition and other heavy duty cutting tasks. Many commercially available reciprocating saws are quite powerful and are effective to make difficult cuts through many kinds of materials and combinations of materials, such as are encountered during demolition tasks. The fact that many saws are quite powerful makes them difficult as well as uncomfortable to operate, in large part because of excessive hand-arm vibration that is experienced by the user. In the case of the blade jamming, substantial shock can be produced, which can be dangerous to the user as well as potentially damaging to the internal gear train and even the motor of the saw.